Stay Healthy

Summer is all about dresses, barbecues, and spending lots of outdoor time with the family. That being said, we usually end up with a pretty full summer schedule and sometimes I only have a few minutes to get ready before heading out to one activity or another. Here are a few really simple tricks to have a prettier summer without all the fuss.

Use a skin moisturizer or lotion (and be sure it has some sunscreen in it as well!). What is the point of keeping your legs silky smooth if you just let your skin dry out? Slapping on some lotion takes all of 5 minutes and that’s if you’re covering most of your body. Glowing, moisturized skin also keeps you looking more youthful.

Smile!

When you’re applying makeup, choose which feature you want to go bold on–eyes or lips. A quick smokey eye or punch of red lip color instantly polishes you look and is easily accomplished in minutes.

Get a new hair cut that is quick to style. This will cut down on your daily time it takes you to get ready and get rid of a whole chunk of extra work for you.

Paint your nails. It not only adds another element to your overall look but also puts you in a better mood to see happy colors on your nails.

Drink water. I know, it may sound like a no-brainer but drinking water is really one of the best things you can do for yourself. So at that next picnic, skip on the soda and try an ice cold bottle of water instead. It flushes your system and creates a healthy glow in your skin, hair and nails.

I don’t know about you but I’m a sweater. Not an American jumper but a woman that sweats. Quite a lot actually. When it’s hot, when it’s cold, when I’m nervous, when I’m excited. And I also want to smell nice. Or at least not smell bad. And these two things can sometimes be at odds with one another.

Not wanting to douse myself in chemicals and unknown ingredients, I’ve tried lots of organic deodorants, with varying success. And then I discovered that making your own organic deodorant is ridiculously easy. Seriously. And it works. Even for a renowned sweater such as myself.

All it takes are two very easy to get hold of ingredients (no scouring the internet for random liquids and powders) and one pot. Any old pot with a wide mouth. An old moisturizer pot will do the trick.

Like this one:

Then you fill it with bicarbonate of soda. About 1/4 of a cup. Or around 40g. Whatever fits in your pot really. You don’t have to be all that precise, which is nice.

It’s your choice as to what you put in. I chose Tea Tree Oil as it’s an antiseptic and lemon oil for a nice fresh scent. But you can use any oils you want. Other great oils to use are rosemary (another antibacterial), patchouli, lavender, oregano, geranium and chamomile is perfect for those with sensitive skin.

You need about 20 drops of essential oil in total. I went with 10 drops of Tea Tree and 10 of lemon. Simply drop them straight into the bicarbonate of soda and then use a butter knife to mix it all together. The oil will start off making clumps but keep stirring until you’re left with a pot of slightly crumbly powder.

And you’re done. Really. That was it.

Now you just need to stick a cotton cloth into your mixture and dab it under your arms (it’s great for sweaty feet too). You can do it as soon as you jump out the shower and even as a quick refresh in the afternoon.

Make sure you brush off any extra powder before pulling on a black top and remember to wash your cloth regularly.

You could even use this in a roller style application. 😉

Could homemade, organic deodorant be any simpler?

Hint: no.

It’s true, I’ve become one of…them. The moment I considered cloth diapers I joked around about how crunchy granola I was becoming but I never in a million years thought I would even give a second thought to consuming my placenta. Before you click away in a hurry thinking I’ve gone bonkers, hear me out.

Placentas have been used in traditional Chinese medicine since the 1500s. It’s even become customary for the placenta to be prepared for the new mother in Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Hungarian cultures.

So aside from the fact that it’s been done for hundreds (if not longer) of years, what would even make the placenta appealing to consume?

First off, the placenta is packed full of rich nutrients. After all, it sustains the life of your baby in utero.

It can help balance postpartum hormone levels.

Helps the uterus get back to its pre-pregnancy state.

Boosts energy levels.

Increases milk supply.

Reduces healing time and postpartum bleeding.

Helps to replenish iron levels to avoid an iron deficiency. I’ve also heard from other ladies that the placenta pills can help with postpartum depression, or baby blues, which would make sense given that low iron levels can contribute to mood change and depression.

Although you can choose to have someone encapsulate it for you, there are methods to process and do it yourself. Generally, you will see diy methods that include using things like a steamer and dehydrator. Well, I couldn’t get my hands on them and after doing some research, came up with a few tweaks to still get the job done using materials we already had on hand.

Talk with your hospital or birthing center about their policies concerning the placenta. Some places will hold it for you until you are discharged and some will allow you to keep it only if you provide a cooler and a way to get it home and refrigerated within 24 hours.

The first thing you’ll want to do is thoroughly rinse the placenta..then rinse it again. You want to pay extra attention to getting out every bit of blood and clots that you can. Gently massage the placenta as well as the “tree of life” veins around where the cord attaches to the placenta. Once you get it rinsed thoroughly, remove the amniotic sac and umbilical cord. Because we started the process at night, I then stored it in the refrigerator overnight in an airtight container with just enough water to cover the placenta.

In the morning I removed the placenta from the container and once again rinsed with warm water. At this point you want to steam the placenta. I don’t have a steamer basket because I’m still young and broke and we’ve managed to eat well while cooking foods using other methods. Instead, I took a tin pie pan and poked holes in the bottom of it. I then wadded up 3 balls of tin foil to approximately the same size. Arrange the balls of foil a saucepan large enough to fit the pie tin, arrange tin on top and put in placenta. If you want to avoid your house taking on an odd aroma, you can slice some lemons and add a cinnamon stick or two in the faux steamer basket with placenta.

Steam for 20 minutes and after turning placenta, steam on other side for 20 minutes.

Once you have finished steaming the placenta, let it cool and rest.

I really didn’t smell anything other than the lemon and cinnamon which was more of a light but fragrant holiday scent. Although, if you really want to know what to expect, it smells just like cooking any other organ you might prepare for dinner–liver, heart, etc.

Slice the cooked placenta into thin strips. The thinner the strips, the quicker and easier it will dehydrate.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. You could also use a dehydrator at this stage, but we didn’t have one so I decided to just process it in the oven. Cook for 4 hours at 200 degrees F.

Once the strips are completely dried, grind using either a spice grinder, food processor, or something similar that will grind it into a powder. At this point you could put the powder into a jar and incorporate it into smoothies or something but honestly, the thought of consuming it in a way more primal than capsules did gross me out a bit.

I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a capsule pill maker thing from my in-laws. It made it fool proof to make the pills and was a pretty quick process. I just had to take apart the capsules, place the ends in each part then fill, close and place in a jar for using as I need them.

Placenta capsules should be stored in the refrigerator while you are taking them. Keep capsules dry. Store any remaining capsules in the freezer for long-term use. Placenta capsules will last at least 1 year if stored properly and possibly longer.

So, have you ever consumed your placenta, do you know someone who has, or is it something you would even consider?

I’m a big believer in using foods and natural supplements to help not only keep yourself healthy, but to deal with sickness when you do find it lurking in your home. I know that eating healthy will get you a long way but I admittedly haven’t ventured into the world of essential oils or herbs near as much. I have a few basic oils such as tea tree, peppermint, eucalyptus and sweet orange, but I wouldn’t be the person you want to run to for in depth knowledge about it, ya know? When it comes to actually getting ill, the first thing people in my family will say is to talk to my aunt because she know “there’s an herb for that”. As much as they make it into a small joke, I’ve really become interested in learning a little more from her on the subject.

Lucky for us, she’s agreed to be a contributing writer on occasion and is kicking it off by telling us the secrets of elderberry.

Well, as we all know it’s cold/flu season. It is always a concern this time of year, trying to dodge all the viruses that seem to run ramped. My family, however, has not had to worry quite as much the past few years since we learned about a wonderful little herb called Elderberry. I know that some people do not believe in using herbs and others do to a certain extent. I, on the other hand, am one who definitely LOVES herbs!! I know one has to be careful when taking herbs for medicinal purposes, as with any kind of medication. I would like to tell you of this wonderful little herb that is perfect for this time of the year. Elderberry can be purchased from your local herbacy / health food store or online (Vitacost is a great place online and they carry many different brands too). Elderberry ‘Sambucus nigra’ contains naturally occurring antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic compounds. It helps to control and kill the cold and flu viruses. The flowers and berries are the two used the most. They can be dried and used in tea to increase circulation and cause sweating, helping to eliminate toxins and bring down fevers.

Elderberry syrup is also well known for quieting a cough. There is a product that Quantum Health makes, I bought at my local herbacy, that has Elderberry, Vitamin C, Echinacea, and Mullein that works like a dream!!! 1 teaspoon of this syrup, your cough is done and you sleep through the night. Elderberry is also safe for our little ones too.

When harvesting your own, it’s very important to remember do not harvest the berries before they turn black. The seeds in the berries, when red, are said to be toxic. Usually, people do not eat the berries, they are harvested (after they ripen, when black) and made into wine, jam, or dried. The flowers are also dried for tea or can be used externally. And here’s one for us “older” ladies, Elderflower tea drank cold is said to help with hot flashes and night sweats. It also makes for a nice face wash. I use dried Elderflowers in my face moisturizer too. The leaves are used externally as an ointment for bruises and sprains.

Elderberry has no known side effects, and does not interfere with other herbs or medication. So as one can see, this is a Mighty little herb bush that deserves much more recognition than it currently receives. I hope this helps someone that may be looking for a medicinal alternative and had not heard of Elderberry and its great properties.

*This photo was used via the Creative Commons licensing. Credit goes to SteveP2008 on flikr. ;)